iindu
India
This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyed this drama very much. It tells an amazing story- an arduous but worthwhile journey to realize a larger dream. The characters are great. The cast is brilliant. Each one of them- good or bad,even the irredeemable ones, stand out in our minds.
It's hard to say what I feel about the drama without giving spoilers, because there are so many great moments, conversations and scenes that come back to me now. Suffice to say, there's more than one hero in this drama and many memorable characters.
King Sejong is a great king, more human than any Sageuk king I can remember having watched. Chae Yoon is our hero, and he stays strongly in character until the end.
The most charming part of the drama are the many relationships it shows- between King Sejong and Moo Hyul(great rapport, even cute at times), King and Chae Yoon, King and the girls, Pyung and Jung Gi Joon and so on.
One thing you shouldn't expect going into this drama, though, is romance. There isn't much or any really. A hint of it comes from Chae Yoon, but isn't built up or even entertained beyond that.
Our lady, So Yi is smart, emotionally strong and with a very capable head on her shoulders, but her devotion all falls on her King and her cause. There isn't time or space for anything else.
But it doesn't matter really,as viewers, because.. it's all about great story telling and this is a sageuk everyone can watch without getting bored at any point.
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The actors.. were really great. Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo were both exceptional; all the supporting cast were very good. Kim Bum's character in this leaned towards his role in 'Unstoppable High Kick'.. the unshakeable,loyal friend. He was good, though I didn't really understand why his character did everything he did.
The music was on the spot, without being too much. I liked it.
The story was good. Wasn't overly dramatic. I couldn't digest some things initially- like the weird definitions of love that people held and what it drives them to do, but the story tries to make us understand even that.
I also liked all the very pretty earrings Song Hye Kyo wore in every scene(though it probably has nothing to do with rating a drama).
What I didn't like so much:
Like I said before, many characters(except the main leads), have a weird understanding of love.
And, Though the ending was made out to be picture perfect, it was more like a dream sequence made to please the audience. It didn't answer many questions, or feel naturally arrived at.
Also, it gets a bit slow towards the end, and maybe there wasn't enough 'chemistry' between the leads or what- but I didn't really care if they got together or not in the end. In fact, I think I would have preferred a more real ending to this.
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The main problem- it takes until more than half of the total episodes to get to the main story. That was really too much of a wait.
Once it does get to it, the story moves forward beautifully. But by that time there wasn't enough screen time left of course.
The way that it ended is probably the only sensible way that it could have..on a positive, open-ended note.
The music was great, I liked the characters much and I liked the actors even better. But there wasn't enough of the lead couple for me. For the 22 episodes that they had, I wanted more.
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There are many things I want to say,and I don't think I am biased, but..maybe I am.
About Ikemen Desu Ne:
The story, though the same, was fleshed out and more well rounded overall. This, within just 11 episodes is surely a great job.
The characters were handled well. We see less silliness and for-the-sake-of-humor situations,and people feel more real.
These are the points I really appreciated.
Now, the main problem I had with this drama is the main cast and the music.
The songs were literally the same, but it didn't work for me. I really missed the feel of the music. And truthfully, the songs just did not feel the same without Jang Geun Suk's voice. :(
Then the cast- Everybody was good, except the main leads.. Mio and Ren. I liked them in the beginning, but as the drama progressed I could really feel how lacking they were in emoting.
Ren came across as the perfect haughty, but sensitive and lonely character, but later on in the drama, his mannerisms seemed more forced and somewhat lacking.
The biggest disappointment for me was Mio. And I never thought I'd be saying that I prefer Park Shin Hye over anyone else.
Go Mi Nam was often silly, super naive, and had that shuffling walk that was so annoying. Mio on the other hand, does not shuffle, does not do goofy things and is just a simple and innocent character who does not intentionally annoy.
But Takimoto Miori as Mio also cannot/did not emote half as well as Park Shin Hye. I felt it in the first main emotional scene- I was waiting to feel her sorrow, and though she cried lots, I felt nothing absolutely. And that continued throughout for me. Her acting did not connect with me at all.
The thing about Go Mi Nam was that- annoying as she was, I could always feel her emotions. I literally smiled when she was happy and could feel her pain when she cried. I have to say, after watching this drama, I really appreciated Park Shin Hye a whole lot more. She was great in emoting.
And lastly, I was sad that there's so little bromance within the band. I mean, Tae Kyung, Jeremy and Shin Woo had a sense of brotherhood and friendship no matter what else, but here the feeling was missing. Ren and Shu didn't seem to have any love for the other; Shu was annoying for the most part and only Yuuki was fun enough to lighten things up.
Yeah, so- I really didn't enjoy this drama, independently or in comparison. I would pick 'You're Beautiful' over this any day for a fun watch with better music and acting.
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The characters are great..the actors are great. Matsumoto Jun does a brilliant job as the kind hearted Vito. The lawyer and the girl are both central to the drama as well, and their roles and smiles are beautiful. Oguri Shun plays Hayashi, the dark shaded character, with great impact in the drama.
The story is uplifting in the end; ends on a happy note, has a great message throughout and is about facing life's difficulties with a big smile.
So, why was it so difficult for me to smile through the drama? Despite what the ending is, this drama was really difficult for me to watch happily. I had a heavy heart through all of it. There was so much injustice and the good people were too unlucky. Every victory they gained was only to be followed by more heartbreaking troubles.
The characters showed great spirit through it all, but I really couldn't share it. I was heavyhearted and sad throughout, and I was thankful when it finally ended, happy or not. In fact I don't think a different ending would have affected me anymore, I was already feeling so blue.
I definitely wouldn't re-watch it, though I assure you- this is a good drama.
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This movie has one of the best female leads I've seen so far. Takahashi is not just beautiful; she's probably the strongest, most cheerful, and honest female characters ever. She knows her feelings and she is forthright about them, without playing any games. Her strength is to be admired.
Yano on the other hand, is a contradiction. He puts on a cool exterior, but is a senstive person who struggles to handle the vagaries of life. I love both their characters.
The feel of the movie is also very good. The only thing that could have been improved is probably the ending. It was rushed and kind of a cliched filmy style. I feel like it could have been so much more. Would have made the movie perfect then.
But definitely, the movie - both parts- is a beautiful experience and is highly recommended.
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The premise is fine and it is not boring. But I could find a number of reasons why it didn't work for me:
First of all, the story had promise, but never took off. And, in episodes 4-7, without any warning, it went off in a weird angle and came back with a new character in tow. That part of the plot felt very much out of place.
Another strange thing was the villainous character. He was very devious and "villainous" in character, but at the end, it came down to nothing. Everything was resolved so easily. Then why did we sit through these many episodes- just for some proper communication?
Then there's lead pair. Forget chemistry, this must be the first drama I've watched where the girl is on more close status with the villain character than the hero. Of course, the mind is a mixed thing..it can mix up all your signals. You do feel sorry for the lead guy.
The Cast: While the supporting cast is good, there isn't much to say about the lead actors. The guy was over acting for the first two episodes, especially his body language, but he got okay after that. The girl is a bit expressionless at times, but again, you get used to it.
So, there it is. You know by now, I don't think it's a great drama. But it's okay for when you have nothing else you want to watch.
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Though I didn't start to watch this drama for Lee Min Ho, he was very impressive. The last drama I'd seen of him was so long ago, I'd almost forgotten how good he is. Of course, it didn't take long to be reminded of that.
Kim Hee Sun was equally good. Her character Eun Soo was as strong and maybe even more important to the drama than Choi Young (Lee Min Ho).
A great plus for this drama is that there are so many characters of note in this drama besides the main leads and played by very good actors.
The King, the Queen, the Woodalchi boys and of course the main negative characters.
This is probably the first drama where there was a sort of comic relief in the villain. Ki Cheol is at the same time evil as well as somewhat comic and pitiful towards the end when he becomes obsessed with the thing he cannot reach, without even knowing what it is.
The music could grow on you perhaps, because it seemed out of place when I heard it the first time, and later not so much.
I cannot finish the review without mentioning the romance. It was slow to build up and to be acknowledged, but it was beautiful all the way. I loved how their interactions were built into the story even with so much else happening.
The 24 episodes went by very fast and I was quite satisfied with the drama. Though if I had to change something, it would be to explain more how and why Eun Soo traveled over time so many times. It seems to suggest that it is fate and not by chance that she was the one, but how and why isn't so clear.
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A little bit cheesy sometimes, at times funny, other times just fun- it was entertaining throughout. There were hardly any negative parts that stuck out.
Hyun Wook seemed very much like a sexist at the beginning of the drama, but as the story moved his reasons become clear and by the second half, his charisma and fairness in the kitchen are what stands out..
I loved Yoo Kyung's character for her amazing reserves of spirit and hard work. She is probably the one female lead in all the dramas I can think of, with a genuinely simple yet strong and positive character.
In the end, I loved the drama, and though all that food made me feel hungry, the one thing I did wonder about is the quantity of food that went out in one serving. It seemed so little.Really?
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The story is good, the characters are very well written. This is especially true here, because the characters stay true to their basic nature throughout the drama. There aren't any miraculous changes in nature or transformation from evil to good. It's more like,as the drama progresses, we learn more about who they are,the choices they make and come to accept them for it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the drama/writers do not make or project any judgements about their characters, but leave them for us to accept,all the good and the not-so-good included.
The cast was equally good. Lee Dong Wook did not disappoint, Kim Hyun Joo was very endearing and every other cast fit in well.
Like I said before, the story moves along at a good pace, sustaining our interest with enough emotion,suspense and court room action.
The only thing I felt lacking in it, was probably the romance angle. Tae Jo and Eun Ho became great partners, but the underlying suggestion of romance which was always hinted at, remained just that- a possibility. Perhaps that's the way the writer/makers wanted it to be, but I was left wishing to see how it would have turned out.
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The negatives- the obviously illogical theatrics, like:
The players are mostly in flying mode with gravity defying leaps.(But since we start seeing this from the first episode of the drama, it feels normal after sometime);
Our heroes, be it Jerry Yan, Wu Chun or Show Lou, can fight off fifty plus men without exertion.
Besides these, there isn't much about the show to dislike.
The theme is basketball, and the drama stays true to it to the end. I liked how the team formed and came together while fighting each game as a different challenge.
The characters are very well written. Each had their distinct style and behaviors and each felt true at some level. Even Da Ying, who was annoying in the beginning, became more clear as the story moved on.
The actors were all very good. Wu Chun has a solid role, though his story is not of main focus. Probably the only character that didn't seem to fit in as much was the girl,Jie Er.
The romance is fine..not very typical, but not very moving either.
The review wouldn't be complete without mentioning the music, of course. The OST is very catching and makes you want to watch, even if you aren't that keen on the story itself. Not to mention that the dance those guys do is very eye catching.
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The story is great- quite different,with interesting narration and well paced, though it does drag a bit in the middle.
The actors were good, almost surprisingly so for me, especially with Micky (having seen him only in 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal', i was unsure of what to expect here) and Lee Tae Sung (who played the polar opposite of his character in Playful Kiss).
There were many things I liked about this drama-
the light heart-ed humor, the past-future lifestyle variations,and especially the three guys, who were cute and fun throughout. The music was good and fitting to the mood of the scene.
The female lead was cute and pretty, more so when she wasn't trying too hard to play the 'innocent' girl. The negative characters were very believable and felt real.
What I didn't like so much are-
the innumerable number of cliched situations, the situations that are made overly dramatic and artificial, the ridiculously obvious way that the 'good' people are repeatedly manipulated by the 'evil' ones (makes you want to knock them on the head and tell them to keep their phones safe and doors locked).
So, if you take away all the minor irritants, 'Rooftop Prince' is a good drama, with enough fun and intrigue to keep it entertaining.
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Takumi-kun Series 1: And The Spring Breeze Whispers
12 people found this review helpful
The storyline is interesting, but the plot was pretty cliched and also very rushed.
The characters are very likeable and just as we start to understand them, they do/say something that makes it feel like we missed something in between. So, it wasn't very believable.
What I appreciated about it was the feel of the movie. Even being about such a different aspect as love between boys, it didn't feel strange at all. Rather it showed a very natural and beautiful relationship.
The cast was very good. The boys were perfect for the roles they played.
In all, here's a movie with lot of potential, but it falls short of being great.
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Having watched 'Iljimae',I must say, there is very little in common between these two dramas, other than the 'Robin Hood' nature of Iljimae and his rather misfortunate connection to his parents.
The return of Iljimae has a broader framework,is more well written, and explores the identity of Iljimae as a hero of the times, working against injustice than for any personal quest. I felt that the story and the characters were more complete in this.
The action sequences are good. There must have been plenty of rope and pulleys used in the making, as Iljimae and numerous others are always flying and leaping about in these scenes.
The episodes are all interesting, and keep you moving forward without boredom.
Regarding the cast: I had wanted to watch this initially for Jung Il Woo, and he didn't disappoint. He is good as Iljimae, truly the 'pretty girl-like-boy' as often referred to in the drama (I loved his ponytail hair).
The supporting cast is good,with many strong performances except that some secondary characters were made annoying by over-acting.
Despite all this, I didn't feel really satisfied with this drama. There wasn't so much plain fun or happy-energy associated with it.
Iljimae's character is mostly solemn/sad/serious/angry. Very rarely do we get to see his smile, let alone hear a laugh. There are so many things happening, we can near feel him carrying the burden of the world on his shoulders.
The romantic relationship is developed on realistic terms, along the sidelines of the plot.
The ending too, although happy, has a solemn, contemplative feel to it.
To sum up, although lacking in story and character development, character Iljimae in the drama 'Iljimae' evoked more happiness than the one we find in 'The Return of Iljimae'.
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The first episode wasn't all that promising, with it's stereotyped good hearted,naive girl and arrogant male leads. But into the second episode, we start to see that the female lead isn't just another stupid/naive girl. Her character comes across as a very sincere and simple, albeit unconfident and adds very much to the charm of the drama.
There is plenty of exaggeration in the acting and diversions in story line. I got along fine till about the 15th episode, when the plot felt too forced and became annoying. I felt that this drama could've been neatly wrapped up in 16 episodes at most without twisting and turning the characters so much.
The story was good and the 'fate' between the couple was clear throughout. There was also something charming and interesting about the characters in the drama, which unfortunately got lost towards the last segment of the drama. I would have liked it more otherwise.
The actors were good, especially the female lead. I liked the music. It gave the right feeling for the scenes. I wouldn't re-watch this again, as there wasn't anything to watch a second time.
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